Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Yoursula.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Yoursulaxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made in December, 1999, in Salinas, Calif., of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Yogretchen, disclosed in a U.S. Plant Patent application Ser. No. 10/099,272 filed concurrently, as the female, or seed, parent with the Chrysanthemum cultivar Empire Symphony, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,782, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in November, 2000. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good garden performance.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since January, 2001, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Yoursula has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Yoursulaxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Yoursulaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright, mounded and rounded plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.
3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
4. Decorative to duplex-type inflorescences.
5. Light purple-colored ray florets.
6. Early flowering, natural season flowering in mid-September in the Northern Hemisphere.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Yogretchen, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Yogretchen differed in ray floret color as plants of the cultivar Yogretchen had orange-colored ray florets.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had conspicuous disc florets whereas plants of the cultivar Yogretchen did not have conspicuous disc florets.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about five days later than plants of the cultivar Yogretchen when grown under natural season conditions.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the male parent, the cultivar Empire Symphony, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller than plants of the cultivar Empire Symphony.
2. Plant habit of plants of the new Chrysanthemum was more uniform than plant habit of plants of the cultivar Empire Symphony.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than plants of the cultivar Empire Symphony.
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had slightly smaller inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Empire Symphony.
5. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about two weeks later than plants of the cultivar Empire Symphony when grown under natural season conditions.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Molfetta, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Molfetta in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller than plants of the cultivar Molfetta.
2. Plant habit of plants of the new Chrysanthemum was more uniform than plant habit of plants of the cultivar Molfetta.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than plants of the cultivar Molfetta.
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had slightly larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Molfetta.
5. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about five days later than plants of the cultivar Molfetta when grown under natural season conditions.